JUMP-START
Intensive Exposure Program (IEP) for Adults with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) at the CBT Counseling Centers
Note: This program is on a temporary hold while we search for a new program director. If you have questions, please contact us!
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce discomfort, worry, or fear (obsessions), and/or urges to perform repetitive, often unusual behaviors (compulsions). The CBT Counseling Centers offers an intensive exposure program for adults with OCD to receive treatment for the life-interfering and often debilitating symptoms associated with this condition.
Our program uses the gold standard for the treatment of OCD called exposure and response prevention, or ERP. ERP is a two-part method. The first part, exposure, involves consistently exposing individuals to the content of their obsessions for a specific length of time, either imaginably (through their imagination) or in vivo (having the patient face their fears in real life). The second part, response prevention, involves preventing the repetitive behaviors associated with the obsessions from occurring. ERP has been shown in an overwhelming number of research studies to significantly reduce obsessions and compulsions in patients with OCD, and often times it is more effective than medication alone.
The active treatment phase of our IEP (after phone screening, an initial assessment to determine eligibility, and a first individual session with the Program Director) consists of 3 hours/day, 3 days/week for approximately 3 weeks, with the option of adding additional weeks of treatment depending on each client’s progress. The primary bulk of the program involves brief group work with participating clients involving goal-setting, review of homework from the previous treatment day, psycho-education surrounding symptoms, and didactics with the majority of daily session time being spent engaged in either individual or group ERP with behavioral coaches or the Program Director. There is a biweekly group for loved ones of those currently participating, which will allow opportunities for education and support.
For more information or to enroll in our program, please contact us at (828) 350-1177.
For OCD counseling services, please call our office to inquire which therapists are currently taking new clients!
Note: Out-of-town patients who meet program eligibility requirements are welcome to participate in the program. However, they are responsible for their own accommodations.